Even though the date of death is March 1, 2010. If you cannot attend, you may leave your remembrances.
[via Metafilter]
Tags: browser, funeral, IE6, Internet Explorer
You Are Invited to a Funeral
Planning for your pet’s care when you’re gone — way gone
By Sterling “Chip” Camden
Contributing Writer, [GAS]
In recent years, the web has draped its sticky silk over most of our lives. There’s a web site now for just about every social interaction, business transaction, coming attraction, and useless distraction in which people may engage. Yet startups still keep finding opportunities that have not been covered.
Sharon Moss identified one such need, and launched aftertherapturepetcare.com to fill it. Many Christians believe in a literal interpretation of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, 4:16-17, which states that when Jesus returns, those believers who are still living will be caught up into the clouds to meet him in the air. This passage doesn’t mention the beloved notion that all dogs go to heaven — much less cats, and forget about snakes. So Christians who love their pets should plan ahead for their care during the seven years of tribulation that follow next in their pieced-together eschatology. They should go register their pets at After the Rapture Pet Care, so arrangements can be made for them.
Sharon Moss is a believer in the rapture herself. So who will take care of all these pets? Why, volunteer unbelievers, of course. Yes, they are volunteers. They will not be paid, nor does the site collect any fees. This is not a scam. These people are serious. Yes, they can be serious.
If you’re an unbeliever like me, you can register to be a pet caretaker in the unlikely event of a Rapture. There’s no cost, and if you don’t believe in the rapture then there’s no risk either, other than sharing your information online. You trusted Google Buzz, didn’t you? Plus, it scores some points with your Christian friends, and shows them that atheists and agnostics aren’t all a bunch of cruel, hateful people with no values. You have to wonder about what these Christians are thinking, though: “It’s so nice of him to volunteer to care for little Miss Daisy, it’s really too bad he’s going to burn in hell forever.”
I can tell you, though, if a Rapture does occur I don’t think living up to my pet-sitting obligations would be high on my to-do list.
Speaking of which, I notice that phrase a lot on the site: “If the Rapture happens.” That doesn’t sound very believer-like to me. You’re supposed to say “When the Rapture happens,” not “If”. Better watch out, Sharon, one little slip like that could cause the Great Pumpkin to pass you by!
Hat tip to Marian for the link.
Music for the Disembodied: Holographic Talking Heads by Neurosonics
iPhone System Headed to New Devices
Apple is reportedly planning to expand use of its iPhone operating system to new devices following the creation of the iPad. This could include a more intuitive system for Apple TV.
The news comes from a job posting by Apple for a rather cutely name position of “Engineering Manager (Platform Bring-Up)”, with the mention: “focused on bring-up of iPhone OS on new platforms.”
That strategy certainly seems to make sense if, as looks likely, the iPad works well. (That’s in terms of how easy and reliable it is to use, not whether it has any real purpose or market.) If that’s the case, it would back Apple’s belief that it makes more sense to scale up the iPhone system than to scale down the desktop and notebook friendly OS X.
The success of the iPhone system is based on its appeal to both consumers and Apple itself. To the user, there’s no denying it generally runs very smoothly and intuitively, giving a feeling of control. To Apple it has the major advantage that the firm itself can control the process by which new applications are added to devices.
Speculation following the job posting is largely centered on bringing the iPhone system to Apple TV, the firm’s media streaming device which links in with iTunes. Running the iPhone system would mean it was much easier for developers to produce applications designed for running on a big screen, particularly those which rely on an internet connection. (Come on, we’ve got to have a Twitter feed sidebar running over live television.)
It’s also reported that Apple is planning to use the A4 chip system from the iPad in other devices. That would be particularly useful in Apple TV where it should be able to cope with streaming high-definition footage.
Bacon Fudge Brownies: The New Geek Fuel
By Andrea Little
Guest Blogger
As we all know; EVERYTHING tastes better with bacon. As a purveyor of food porn (aka the Food network) I came across a show featuring chocolate covered bacon. So, when stumped for a recipe to take to recipe club; thoughts of bacon dancing in a chocolate shower came to mind. A quick trip to the grocer and an hour later Bacon Fudge Brownies emerged from the oven. Simple and easy to make even a geek like me cannot mess up this yummy combination.
Photoshop Cooking
Vimeo user Lait Noir (Black Milk) used cardboard and kitchen utensils to cook up this interesting stop-motion video on how someone could use Photoshop to make butter cookies.
[Via Geekologie]
Mac Haters Having Fun with 15″ MacBook Pro
[Via MUO]
Sony working on a universal console controller
Sony has applied for a patent on a games console controller which could work on any console, including older machines and those produced by rival firms. The patent was filed in August 2008 but has only just been published by the US Patent Office.
The design appears to be based on the housing of existing PlayStation controllers, complete with shoulder buttons (L1, L2, R1 and R2). However, instead of fixed buttons on the front of the controller, it would have an LCD touchscreen. This would work along the lines of a “universal remote control” and could be set-up to store three different combinations of buttons for different consoles.
It appears from the filing that the designers were still making some decisions about the controller at the time (which isn’t unusual for an idea in development). For example, the filing notes the possibility that the arrow keypad (aka the D-pad) was used so widely on console controllers that it might make more sense to include in physical form.
The patent also notes the controller could not only sport Sony’s dual-shock vibration technology but could also feature speakers and even on-board storage. That would certainly make a good alternative to memory cards for game saves on older consoles and would be a neat way of allowing players to bring their own controller, and thus their own game history, when playing on a friend’s machine.
As well as cutting down on clutter in multi-console homes, it seems the main selling point of the device would be as a replacement controller for old machines no longer in production. The problem with that is that, for major retro consoles at least, controllers are still available second-hand on eBay for as little as a few bucks.
It’s also questionable how appropriate a touchscreen controller is for use with games designed for a physical controller featuring a stick. While touchscreens have worked well on some iPhone games, those games are usually specifically designed for that method of input.
I’ll just browse the Net for a few minutes… [Picture]
[Via TDW]
College Professor Makes his Point Clear: No Laptops Allowed in Class
In order to emphasize the point that no laptops were allowed into his class, Kieran Mullen, a physics professor from the University of Oklahoma, dipped a portable in liquid nitrogen right before smashing it on the floor.
If any of you have similar crazy anecdotes about some of your past or present professors, we’d love to hear about them in the comments section below!